Used to
by MadGeorge
Summary: Lindsey Is Into Some Bad Things, And Catherine Sets Her Straight. Rated T Because Of Breif Language.


Disclaimer: I Own NOTHING.

A/N: I have no clue what to say about this story. Read it and see what you think.

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Lindsey Willows sat with her head in her hands. Her mother was chewing her out again, but like any thirteen-year-old girl she was ignoring it, drowning it out with her own thoughts.

"Lindsey Elisabeth Willows! Listen to me dammit! I'm your mother! You think I'm stupid, but I know what you've been up to! I didn't raise you this way, Lindsey! You're better then all this! Say something!" Catherine had tears running down her face.

Lindsey looked up, her eyes glowing with anger. "Oh please, mom! You preach about how you didn't raise me like this, but you did! You're never here for me, yet you think you know me!"

She rose and looked her mother in the eyes. "You want me to be better, cuter, smarter, but I'm not! You go on about how I'm screwing around, but at least you won't have to pay to close up my nose the way dad did for you!" She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "Don't pretend it didn't happen, your nostrils have all the telltale signs, I know cocaine damage when I see it."

Catherine grabbed her daughter by the strap of her tank top. "Look Missy! I don't like your tone! Yeah, I admit it, I made some shitty decisions. But I fixed my problems. And I work my ass off every day to make enough money to try and raise you without any of your own!" She let go and walked out of the room. Lindsey fell back onto her bed, her blonde hair fanning out around her, like a twisted halo.

Catherine stormed into the living room of her home. She lay back on the couch. She knew she hadn't always been the best parent, but she thought Lindsey at least respected her. She reached up and felt her nose, the damage wasn't so noticeable… Was it? She had tried to keep that part of her life from Lindsey. Apparently she hadn't done such a good job.

Her mind wandered back to the previous night. Lindsey had finally arrived home at 1:00am. That was three hours after her curfew. Catherine had sat up waiting, waiting for three hours for her only child to turn up. During that time every possible problem a young girl could get into had made an appearance in her head. Finally, at exactly 1:08, Lindsey had arrived home, she had tried to hide it, but Catherine could smell the toothpaste on her breath and the weed on her hair.

"_Mom, it's nothing!" Lindsey exclaimed, her eyes wide, her pupils the size of dinner plates. " I didn't DO anything!"_

"_Lindsey, I'm worried about you! You smell like you ate a tube of toothpaste. I was young once. I know all the tricks!" Catherine was frantic._

"_Eve gave me a piece of gum! That's it, I swear!" Lindsey started to laugh._

Catherine knew that laughter well. She herself had done the same thing many times. Albeit she had been older then Lindsey, much older. But those had only been the start of her problems.

Lindsey lay on her bed. Why was her mom such a bitch about her life lately? All she had done was experiment a little. After all, her mom had done a lot worse. Why couldn't she just leave Lindsey to make her own mistakes. She wasn't a child any more. Her mom needed to just accept it.

Catherine checked her watch, it had been nearly two hours since she had left Lindsey in her room. Maybe she had cooled down. She slowly ventured back.

"Linds? Baby? I'm sorry sweetie, but we need to have a talk. It's important." Catherine tried to sound as non-threatening as possible.

"What is it mom?" Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Lindsey, I really need to know something. What's next here? I mean, I'm your mom, I know you've been drinking. I know you've been doing pot." She raised a hand, "Don't interrupt me, I know you have. I understand that. But I need to know, what do I have to prepare myself for now? Should I expect the "Your daughter has been raped" call? What about the "Your daughter has OD'd" call?"

Catherine raised her voice, "Huh? What do I have to expect next?"

Lindsey gave her mom a smug look. "We went through this last year. Next, I'll be a stripper. Like you were, remember?" She raised her hand in a perfect imitation of her mother. "Don't interrupt me. Next, you'll see me in nudie bars, parading around the way you used to! I'll be wearing nothing but a thong and a smile, the way you did, do you remember that? Huh? Do you? If it was good enough for you, why shouldn't it be good enough for me? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

She flipped her hair, "That's what you can expect."

Catherine frowned, a tear appeared in her eye. "Really Linds? Okay. But you should know, that when I used to dance, or "Strip", as you call it, I wore a mask. I pretended to smile, pretended to enjoy what I was doing. I had to pretend that I liked having my ass groped by sweaty, hairy losers, in seedy, nasty bars. And for what? A few dollars here and there? It wasn't worth it. It never was for me, and it never will be for you. That's why I've always tried to protect you from that life."

The tear dropped to her cheek. Catherine wiped it off with a tissue from Lindsey's side table. "You think I want that for you? You think you deserve that life? Think whatever you want. You can pretend that you think you aren't good enough. But deep down I know that you are this perfect, wonderful gift, and I don't want to lose you."

She lifted her fingers and ran them down the bridge of her nose. "You commented on my nostrils earlier? Well, you were right. I used to do cocaine, I was a cokehead, a crackwhore, call me what you will. But notice that I talk about it in the past tense. I _used _to do cocaine. _Used to. _I _was _a cokehead, I _was _a crackwhore. That was my past. I just don't want it to be your future. I won't let that be your future."

With that, Catherine walked slowly from Lindsey's room and collapsed onto a chair. She began to sob. And in that instant, Lindsey realised why her mother was so protective. This wasn't the life her mother had deserved. It wasn't even the life she had chosen.

Lindsey walked into the living room and watched her mother crying. Catherine looked up. "You are Lindsey Willows. And you are better then all that."

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A/N: Well. Hopefully you liked it. R&R SVP.


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